Episode 12 Show Notes- Exploring the Collapse of America’s Education System

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Episode Description

Professor Giordano goes in-depth and explains what has caused the shocking collapse of our education system. As our biased news media continues to ignore the real issues, The PAS Report will provide factual analysis, and solutions to remedy some of the institutional failures. It is time to put politics aside and reinvent America’s education system. This is an episode that every parent with school-aged children needs to hear. Go to The PAS Report to see show notes and sourcing.

Intro

Welcome everyone to another episode of The PAS Report Weekly Roundup Podcast. This is your host Nick Giordano. Following my discussion with Hollywood icon, Chuck Woolery, and Host, Mark Young, on Blunt Force Truth, I want to take this week to provide an in-depth explanation on the collapse of the American education system. If you haven’t listened to interview, it’s available on bluntforcetruth.com.

I constantly state that our education system has failed, yet I haven’t fully explained why. This episode will explore the failures, and I will provide solutions that can remedy some of the problems. As always, if you want to see the show notes or the sourcing of my material, go to thepasreport.com.

The PAS Report will continue to explore issues that impact your life, and this week is no different. I ask that you share this episode with every parent that has school-aged children. This should not be a partisan issue. Both Democrats and Republicans are responsible for these failures.

Results of a collapsed education system

We are the sole superpower of the world. No other country can match our political power, our economic power, and our military power. When it comes to education, we are witnessing major failures.

According to the PISA worldwide ranking system, when combined, the United States ranks 31^st in math, science, and reading. Specifically, we rank 39^th in math, 25^th in science, and 24^th in reading. (PISA) How long can the United States remain the sole superpower if it lags in education? Every empire to exist got thereby leading in engineering and innovation.

It’s not just the worldwide rankings that illustrate our education system has collapsed. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, is the “largest ongoing assessment of what U.S. students know and can do.” They found that in the student population of public schools:

• 23% of graduating seniors are proficient in government and civics
• 19% of graduating seniors are proficient in geography
• 23% of graduating seniors are proficient in math
• 36% of graduating seniors are proficient in reading
• 21% of graduating seniors are proficient in science
• 11% of graduating seniors are proficient in American history, and
• 25% of graduating seniors are proficient in writing (The Nation’s Report Card)

This is an abomination, and we should be ashamed that we have let our education system collapse. It is unfair and a disservice to every American. We need to open our eyes.

When you examine these results, this problem is far and wide. It is not isolated to the poorer districts. This encompasses all of the United States. Consider this, more students today go to college than ever before, and more students today cannot read, write, do math or science, at the college level. It has forced all colleges from the Ivy League Universities to the community colleges to dumb down their standards. A student at Harvard, today, doesn’t do near the work or quality of work that a student from Harvard did forty years ago.

As I tell my students, why is it that people from the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s, many who dropped out of school and never graduated high school has more general knowledge than the student body today who has been in school for at least 13 years (K-12)?

I have a front-row seat to the collapse of our education system. As a Political Science professor, and someone who has been teaching for over 13 years, every semester, I notice students have more difficulty in writing. I also know they are coming in with less knowledge than ever before.

This semester none of my students were able to pass a basic citizenship exam, and only 3 out of 10 students can identify the U.S. Constitution. My results jive with a study conducted by the Woodrow Wilson Institute that found only 27% of Americans under the age of 45 demonstrate a basic understanding of American government and history. (Woodrow Wilson Institute)

Consider this, we have opinions on every single issue that exists. We are constantly saying what government should or should not do. Well, how can we say the government should do anything if we know nothing about our government, how it was set up, and the roles and responsibilities of our institutions.

I have had to redo my entire courses to teach my students about the concept of federalism, that we are a Republic and not a democracy, the three branches or government, and checks and balances. It’s as if it is the first time they are being introduced to the American government. They should already have this knowledge by the time they come to college, and sadly, they do not.

Identifying the institutional failures in the education system

You will constantly hear that the reason for the failures in the education system is due to a lack of funding. I am sick and tired of hearing that. The schools have more money than ever before, and for the last 40 years, education spending has increased in almost every year.

The myth about funding

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United States spends $12,800 per student in the U.S. which is 35% higher than the average of developed countries where they spend approximately $9,500. (National Center for Education Statistics) Using OECD data, and looking at all school funding- federal, state, local, & private- the OECD estimates that the real amount of money spent per student is $122,000 per year, compared with an average of $93,500. Only Norway, Austria and Luxembourg spend more. (OECD)

Bloated administrative staff

If you are an administrator, you may want to mute this for a little.

I encourage everyone to read Vicki Alger’s essay entitled, “The U.S. is a Global Leader- and a Laggard- in Education Spending.” Her research is eye-opening and jaw-dropping. It highlights some of the contributing factors to the collapse of our education system.

• Less than half of all school staff is teachers
• Support staff growth is 90% and outpaced student-enrollment growth by 8 to 1
• The number of administrators, principles, counselors, etc. more than doubled over the last 40 years, and
• Administrative staff pay is more than double that of developed nations. (Independent Institute)

This problem is infectious through academic institutions, including my college. Most new positions that open are administrative positions or support staff. Seeing a full-time faculty line open up is rare. In fact, according to the union contract at my college, 75% of faculty are supposed to be full-timers, and 25% are supposed to be adjunct faculty. However, the numbers are completely reversed.

We have superintendents in some districts, making more than the President of the United States.

Ask yourself, what did we do, and how did we survive and educate children before the explosion of administrative positions? Also, what happens when you have a bloated education bureaucracy where many of the people making decisions regarding curriculum development never actually spent a day in the classroom as a faculty member? We have all these policymakers and administrators that determine what gets taught, and how has that worked out for us?

Lack of discipline & respect for authority

Throughout the country, we see a push in many districts to limit and do away with strict disciplinary actions against students who violate the codes of conduct. (EdSource) Since the days of zero-tolerance have been done away with, we are witnessing increasing violence, both verbal and physical, toward teachers and administrators. (USA Today) The failure of schools to hold these students accountable has had a chilling effect. More importantly, as administrators take a more laissez-faire approach to discipline, teachers see the lack of support, and it begins to affect the quality of their work. In fact, many studies suggest that violence, verbal and physical, against teachers leads to increasing sick times being used, and creates a disconnect between faculty, administration, and students. This is similar to what we are seeing with the NYPD as the DeBlasio administration has proven time and time again that they don’t have the backs of law enforcement officers.

Faculty

I recognize that there are many teachers out there who genuinely care about their students and their students’ performance. Many of you are listening, and hats off that dedicate their lives to this thankless position. One of the reasons I started this podcast was at the encouragement of my students, and I truly enjoy being in the classroom day in and day out.

But as faculty, we also have to recognize that there are a decent number of teachers that got into the profession for the wrong reasons. As teachers pay began to rise, there are some that have gotten into the profession for the wrong reasons. The pay is decent, benefits are great, and they get weekends, holidays, and summers off. They about the profession about themselves as opposed to the students. When a teacher is teaching for the wrong reasons, they will not be effective.

Common Core

Common Core is another area that certainly needs to be reformed. If we are going to be honest, we cannot yet say that common core is successful or a failure, but we now can recognize its shortcomings. First, and foremost, moving education away from local control to federal control. While it is not necessarily mandatory, the federal government has attached education funding to the adoption of common core thereby blackmailing states to institute common core throughout curriculums.

And what happens when you let morons develop these policies, they can’t even implement it correctly. Common core was introduced throughout K-12 in 2010. So, you have 6-12^th graders who have been trained to learn one way, and then we said to forget everything you have learned, and you must adapt to a new way of learning. The way it should have been implemented was in 2010 incoming kindergarten, and first-grade students would have to learn by common core principles and the other grades would be grandfathered into the previous curriculum.

Also, teachers were not properly trained in common core. We should have trained teachers for well over a year before having them introduce it in a classroom. Think logically, if a teacher doesn’t understand common core, how can the students?

Another problem with common core is that it takes simple problems and makes them overly complicated. While I understand the intent of having to show how you arrived at your answer, sometimes simple is better. 2 + 2 = 4, I don’t need to know double facts or any of that nonsense. I consider myself to be smart. I hold two master’s degrees, I am well-respected for my analysis, yet when my son is in second grade and asks me about a math problem, and I have to go and hide to look it up, it’s a little disheartening. I shouldn’t have to search on the internet for the answer to a second-grade math problem.

Curriculum development

We are training an entire generation of students on how to take a test rather than how to retain and use information. (NEA) While testing is a necessary component to the classroom, we have given tests too much weight.

Anyone can pass a test, and testing does not necessarily give a proper baseline of whether students are comprehending the material. Anyone can pass or fail a test, and some people are better test-takers than others. However, just because a student can pass an exam, it does not mean they can apply the information in their everyday life.

More importantly, why do we place such an emphasis on these multiple-choice exams? Let’s face it, once you’re out of school, you may have to take a few tests for your profession, but most may never encounter another exam.

Why aren’t we teaching students to apply the information and lessons they learned to everyday life? The idea of focusing on testing has contributed to the loss of a key component essential to humanity- inquisitiveness.

STEM and a deemphasis in other areas

In 2011, a movement began to place an emphasis on STEM- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. STEM is important because American innovation and engineering led to us becoming the superpower of the world. We are now in a global competition, and I recognize other countries are challenging our dominance in these fields.

However, are we focusing too much on STEM at the expense of other areas? Take my area, for instance. American government and politics are not necessarily required in education. Remember, history and government are separate subjects. At the high school level, you may get a half-semester in government, and the other half is in economics.

Why is that? I took sequential math in high school, and since then, I have yet to encounter a binomial or a trinomial. Probably wouldn’t even be able to solve the problem if I encountered it.

Government impacts our everyday life. No matter what profession you go into, it is regulated by government. If you want to buy a home or do work on your home, you have to deal with government. You drive on roadways, and purchase goods and services- once again, government. If you want to open a business, you have to deal with government. So in every aspect of our lives, we encounter government, but as far as learning about government, we don’t require it.

Government and Politics

Focusing on my area, we have deemphasized American history, government, and politics. Many curriculums have changed the approach to history and government by placing more emphasis on world history. The theory was that since we live in America, we would automatically learn about our country.

Another problem is that when we do teach about America, the focus has shifted to past injustices rather than a totality of the American experience, both good and bad.

This has led to a younger generation that doesn’t appreciate the United States and doesn’t have pride in the United States. A 2018 YouGov poll highlighted the changing generational sentiments towards the United States.

• 94% of those over the age of 73 responded they are proud of their nation
• 85% of baby boomers responded that they are proud of America
• 65% of millennials responded that they are proud of America
• 54% of Generation Z responded that they are proud of America (Investors Business Daily)
• More than half of the younger generations don’t consider themselves patriots
• 60% of millennials and Generation Z believe the U.S. is sexist, and 63% believe America is a racist country, and
• 47% of millennials and college-age people prefer socialism over capitalism. (Investors Business Daily)

Believing every student is an academic

We have also created a system that is designed to believe that every student is an academic. We have done away with skills-based training throughout the country. While academics are important, it is equally important that students have a general knowledge of academia, and learn a skill that can also help to sustain them. I will talk about that more when I get to the solutions portion.

Homework

Many teachers believe in giving homework and rightfully so. However, many will assign work that does nothing to reinforce what a student is learning. What do you think is more useful to a student: assigning a few end of the chapter questions or having the student write a few paragraphs of what they learned in their classes and how they can apply it to their everyday lives? This will reinforce what the student learned and allow them to think critically. More importantly, students will become better writers, and most professions require some level of writing.

We are to blame as well

While there are many bureaucratic failures, there are also several failures that we must take ownership of.

Changing family units

First is the family structure has evolved. More than 1 in four, 19.7 million, children live without a father. (Fatherhood) As men, we have a responsibility and obligation to our children, and studies show that an absent father leads to more behavioral issues in the child. In some of the tougher neighborhoods, the numbers are even worse.

More kids today are growing up in single-parent households as well. In 1960, the number of two-parent households was 88%. Over the last five decades, we have seen a steady decline in the two-person household. According to the latest census, 69% of Americans live in two-parent households. That’s a 20-percentage point drop, and the alarm bells should be going off. Raising a child is one of the most difficult of life’s tasks, and it’s difficult when you have both parents. When there is only one parent around, the job is even more difficult. (U.S. Census)

Even two-parent households have their challenges. We live in a day and age where it is really expensive to live, and many households require both parents working. When you have less parental guidance, it leaves the child more vulnerable. Both parents work all day, come home, they then have to cook, feed, and clean up after the kids. Then showers or baths. After working all day, and taking care of your child’s needs, how many are going to want to focus on their kid’s homework and teaching them. Now they have a responsibility to do that, but at the same time, we have to recognize that the more exhausted they are, the less likely they will focus on work.

Changing priorities

Many in the United States emphasize sports and extracurricular activities over academics. While sports and extracurricular activities are important and teach students to operate in team environments and get physical exercise, deemphasizing academics is a mistake, and we see the results of that.

Also, parents will place blame on teachers over the students. When I was growing up, if I failed a test, it was my responsibility, and my mother would punish me. It wouldn’t matter if the teacher was ineffective. If I used the excuse that everyone failed, she would say, I don’t care about everyone else. Also, she would warn that in life, you are going to encounter good teachers and bad teachers just like you will encounter good bosses and bad bosses. You have to learn to deal with that.

Today, helicopter parents will contact the teacher to complain and try and get grades changed. If the teacher refuses, they will contact the administrators and will even complain to the Superintendent. Many times, schools will capitulate to the parent’s demands. This creates a sense of entitlement. Students should not be receiving passing grades for simply showing up.

Technology

We must look at the role technology plays. Students are much more distracted today than any prior generation. When students are reading, (for those that still do) many keep their cell phones next to them and are constantly checking the latest alerts on their phone. Studies show that when a student is more focused on their cell phone than what they are reading, they are doing nothing more than looking at words on the page.

A recent study conducted by Pew Research found that kids spend an average of 9 hours a day online. (Pew Research) And according to a University of Michigan study, this is contributing to our problem in retaining information. (University of Michigan) Moreover, the American Psychological Association found 16-percent of high schoolers read daily. (American Psychological Association) Reading is knowledge, and knowledge is power. The lack of reading has led to a decline in our education system.

Want to be told how to think

I constantly see how many in the youth would rather be told what to think than to think for themselves. They regurgitate information they found on the internet and social media, and they don’t ask questions. It is clear that students today are not as inquisitive as previous generations.

A hunger for knowledge is not as prevalent in today’s society, and we have a failure to learn on our own. We accept statements at face value, and no longer ask questions, especially critical questions of “why” and “how.”

The internet can give us more knowledge than any previous generation, yet how much times is wasted on looking at useless crap and irrelevant websites. Studies illustrate that the youth no longer follow the news, and 68% get their information from social media (Ypulse).

How to fix the problem

There are several measures we can take to reverse the downtrend in our education system.

Put the emphasis and empower the teachers

We need to put the emphasis back on education and empower teachers to develop creative curriculum that reach their students. Teachers know the needs of their students better than anyone else. Instead of hiring more administrators, we should raise the standards of teacher qualifications, pay them more, and provide bonuses for the teachers that have a proven track record of reaching students, particularly in underserved communities.

Incorporate respect and discipline into the curriculums

Many countries around the world incorporate respect and discipline within their curriculums. While parents should be teaching their children the importance of respect, being polite, and good manners, it doesn’t hurt to have curriculums reinforce these ideas.

Teach more courses that will help them as they get older

While the core subjects are important, we need to teach the youth core life principles as well. We should incorporate coping and self-discipline courses. We should consider fiscal responsibility and money management courses from an early age. Students should learn the basic principles of saving and investing at some point in middle school before they begin to work, not after.

Learn a trade/skill

In high school, while learning academics, students should also learn a trade they may be interested in. Trades are useful life skills that never go to waste. If they learn carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work, but pursue an academic-type career, they can still use these skills to earn side money or do work in their own home. Adam Carolla and Harrison Ford were both carpenters before being discovered and still use these skills today. If they choose to enter these career fields, they can be very lucrative.

Make American government a required course

As I stated earlier, the government impacts every aspect of our lives, and we have to encounter the government daily. Every student should be proficient in American government and politics. Provide a balanced approach and stop focusing on the negative aspects of the United States. It doesn’t mean that you don’t teach about slavery, the Trail of Tears, Japanese Internment Camps, etc. Stop trying to indoctrinate the students and actually teach. Students should not view America as more racist today than we were during slavery or segregation. All states should follow Indiana’s lead and require students to pass a citizenship exam before graduation.

Get the federal government out of local education

We should restore power to the states and local governments over education. Ever since the federal government has gotten involved, student performance has consistently dropped. Education is not a one size fits all, and while some universal standards/baselines need to exist, states need to remain creative.

Parents

Parents should get back to being parents and stop being their kid’s friends. Parents have a responsibility and obligation to ensure their child is well-educated. That means that parents should solely rely on teachers teaching their kids. Be active and part of your child’s life.

When kids are doing homework and reading, parents should take away their cell phones. Also, parents need to regulate their child’s screen time.

Closing

Here at The PAS Report, we focus on the issues that dramatically affect your life, and we will continue to do so. If you notice, we don’t get bogged down in the advocacy news media’s daily gossip. We do the job they should be doing. In future episodes, we will explore some of these solutions with more depth, examine higher education, and provide more solutions to fix our education system, our culture as well as our society as a whole.

Please share this episode with any parent that has school-aged children because every person needs to be aware of the collapse of our education system. The news media and our politicians have failed us, and politics has gotten in the way of really tackling the 21st-century problems we face.

As always if there is a topic or issue you would like me to focus on, send an email to podcast@pasreport.com. Also, if you have ideas to solve some of the important issues, feel free to reach out.

Thank you for joining us, stay safe, and I’ll be back next week.

 

 

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